When asked this week about the possibility of losing Pickford this summer, Moyes claimed that the 'terrific' £20m-rated 'keeper is the the 'best young talent', and insisted that he deserves to win this season's 'Young Player of the Year' award over hot favourite Dele Alli. Moyes then added:

“He’s good enough to play for any club, but he can’t afford a year when he’s not playing. It would be a backward step if he wasn’t going to be a No.1 keeper. He'll need more maturity before he becomes the absolute real deal".

In my view, Moyes is absolutely spot on, and I've made the same argument all season. A move to Anfield is (arguably) a retrograde step, and at the age of 22, it's extremely unlikely that Pickford will become Liverpool's number one straight away.

Loris Karius arrived expecting to replace Mignolet, and within a few months, he'd blown his chance, and ended up on perennial bench duty. Pickford is better off staying at Sunderland (where he'll play every week), or moving to a mid-table club where he'll have more opportunity to play on a regular basis (from day one).

That said, if Moyes wants to keep Pickford, he should probably stop fawning over him. If he keeps claiming that Pickford is the 'best' young player in England, and can play for 'any team' in the Prem, then he can't really complain if Pickford gets ideas in his head and/or other clubs come calling.